Phoenix Rising
by LATINSTYLZGIRL
Summary: As Bella enters the forest behind her house in search of her brother, she learns of the strange things that lurk in the woods. Entry for the Once-Upon-A-Twiight Contest. Please rock the vote.


**ONCE UPON A TWILIGHT CONTEST**

**Title: Phoenix Rising  
Author: LATINSTYLZGIRL  
Rating: K  
POV: Storyteller  
Word Count: 14, 378  
Summary: As Bella enters the forest behind her house in search of her brother, she learns of the strange things that lurk in the woods.**

_**This story is being submitted as an entry for the Once Upon a Twilight Contest, hosted by wishimight and staceygirl aka jackbauer. For complete contest details, to read the rest of the contest submissions, or if you are interested in entering, please visit the contest community at:  
http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/community/Once_Upon_a_Twilight/72145/  
Entries accepted until 8/20/09  
Voting begins 8/22/09**_

"You're it!" called out Jacob as he finally caught his sister hiding behind the air conditioning unit at the north side of their house. Bella had never been good at hiding as she kept choosing the same places over and over again. Jacob was excited to have found her because now it was her turn to find him.

Bella was disappointed once again. She'd hated being the one to count when it came to playing hide and seek. First, Jacob had always been the cleverer of the two when it came to hiding places. Also, being the absolute epitome of clumsiness in her family, Bella could never catch her younger brother, Jacob.

With a sigh, Bella walked up to edge of the building to the spot where they used to count while the others hid. "How long do I have to count for" asked Bella. She raised her right forearm upon the wall and held her head up, waiting for Jacob's response.

"Count to 100," called Jacob, as he began looking for a good place to hide.

"One hundred? Are you mental? You're the fastest person I know. I think you'll do well with just twenty."

"All right. 50," reasoned Jacob.

"Fifty?" asked Bella incredulous.

"Yes, 50. It's the one with the five and the zero and in that order," Jacob replied.

"Fine, Jake," said Bella, as she rolled her eyes and laid her head upon her forearm, leaning against the wall.

As Bella began to count, Jacob looked for a good place to hide. The darkened forest caught his eyes, and though there have been many stories of strange things lurking in the woods, he ignored the little voice in his head, begging him not to go into the forest, and ran towards it. Finally in the seclusion of the forest, Jacob began to run as fast as he possibly could. The deeper into the forest he went, the more curious he became of what mysteries lay in the forest. After about fifteen minutes of searching through the grounds, he slowed down and he became aware that he had no clue as to where he was. Again the little voice in the back of his mind kept pleading him to find his way back home, and this time he complied. As he took the first step, he heard what sounded like the crunching of leaves lying on the ground, sensing someone approaching him. Figuring it was Bella who had finally found him, he turned immediately. At this, he gasped, his eyes widened, his entire frame began to tremble, and his heart began beating frantically inside his chest. For what he saw frightened him, and though he was the fastest person he knew, he had a feeling it would be no good. Jacob tried to get a better look at the hideous creature in front of him, when it swiftly lifted the young man up in the air as if he weighed nothing. The creature looked at him with the most ferocious glint in his sapphire blue eyes, and slammed Jacob hard against the ground, immediately knocking him out of consciousness.

Bella had finally counted all the way to fifty when she began looking for Jacob. She'd search the usual areas: the underside of the front porch steps, the old tree house they played in when they were children, inside the garbage cans (crazy enough, he's hidden in there in the past but then regretted it when he came out, smelling of rotten fish and dirty diapers). She walked all around the house, and decided he must've hidden inside. Bella searched in every room, through the closets, under the beds, everywhere Jacob would be able to fit his 6'1' frame. It shouldn't been that hard to find him since he was pretty big, but as she became irritated with her brother, Bella gave up trying to find him and decided to wait for him to show up to give him a piece of her mind.

After half an hour of waiting, Bella began to worry about her brother. Her mother Renee called them both for dinner, and Bella worried that Jacob would not be back in time if she didn't search for him. Seth, a little boy in the neighborhood approached Bella and told her that he'd seen Jacob run into the woods, and although she knew Jacob had been warned several times not to go into the forest alone, she had no other choice than to go find him. She was frustrated that Jacob had disobeyed their parent's wishes but knew of what the consequences of going into the forest would be and she decided to look for him on her own. If she didn't find him within fifteen minutes of searching, she would just tell their father where Jacob was last seen, though she hoped she didn't have to. As the older sibling, she would be held responsible for Jacob's disappearance.

She stood from the front porch steps of her house and began walking towards the forest. Even though she'd heard of strange happenings and of people going missing within the forest, she brushed off the eerie feeling building at the pit of her stomach, walked over the threshold of the forest and began calling out Jacob's name. She made sure to look all around her and step safely on the ground to avoid injury.

_That's exactly what we would need. Jacob lost and me injured, lying on the forest, waiting to die,_ Bella thought_._

Looking at her watch, the fifteen minutes had been up for the past ten minutes, and she began to get nervous. With no sign of Jacob or the beginnings of the forest in sight, she stood still to figure out what to do next. She tried to make sure not to leave the straight path from home to avoid getting lost, but after walking back towards the same direction for about an hour and not finding home, she began to shake in fear. The already eerily shadowed woods around were becoming darker as the night began to fall upon her, and she'd still not found her way back home. She'd thought of her father, the chief of police and when he'd figure out that his children were missing. She thought of her mother and the times she would have fits of panic when they'd arrive home from school even five minutes late. Never mind two hours.

She'd thought of her little brother. Though he was a cocky, fearless fifteen year old boy, she knew Jacob would be scared too. Then a thought occurred to her: Maybe Jacob had found his way home already and they were all freaking out, trying to find _her_. That would mean that Bella would be roaming the deserted wooded area behind her house all by herself and no one would be close enough to her to hear her scream. Bella began to silently cry in fear of where she was and sat down against a tree to pray for some kind of sign that she would be okay.

It was then she first heard the sound. At first, she didn't know if she heard anything as the only sound she heard was her sobs. But when she heard the shifting of the ground again, she knew someone or something was out there. She'd seen enough movies and read enough books to know that running, especially in her clumsiness, would be the worst thing to do. The only light that shone around her was the full moon in the black sky, and she thought how ironic it would be to find herself a victim of a Jason or Mike Meyers type-lunatic.

Again she heard the shuffling of feet growing closer to her. Her entire frame shook uncontrollably and she bit her lip almost hard enough to draw blood to hold in the cries that threatened to escape. Beyond the trees, she began making out the signs of a shadow deep in the forest. Her heart was pounding, her chest heaving violently at the lack of oxygen, and she tried really hard not to get up and start running. The only thing she could think of at that moment was Jacob's well-being. Had her brother encountered whatever it was that lurked in the shadows? Had he been kill- No, she would not think of that right now. She had to believe that Jacob was safe wherever he was, even if her future didn't seem to be looking up right now.

As the figure drew nearer, she began to make out the shape of him, her, or ...it? It seemed like whatever she was looking at was standing on two legs, his shoulders slumped over as his torso moved slowly moved up and down, breathing heavily. He stepped closer to her and as he made his way into the light under the moon, fear gripped her forcefully, not letting her move, even if she wanted to . The figure appeared in front of her just twenty feet away, the light shone on its silver colored fur, rising like hackles behind its neck. Its long snout and gigantic gleaming teeth were drenched in a dark color that she could only make out as...blood. What looked like cut-off jeans were the only indication that this creature was in some way human, yet the shape of its body and the look of utter hatred he had in his face screamed _Werewolf_.

She didn't know what to do. She couldn't very well run away from it. It would be angered even more than it looked and she would definitely pay with the brutality of its anger. But was she supposed to do? Stay on her spot and just offer herself up like some virginal sacrifice? Again, thoughts of Jacob came to her mind and she thought of how cruel life was. They were only playing hide and seek. It's not something that teenagers played especially between siblings but it had been one of their favorite games when they were little. When everything was innocent and the worst thing that could happen to them was a scraped knee or a school crush that was never confessed only to be forgotten the next week. They'd played hide and seek for old times' sake, not thinking that it would be here, trapped between an oak tree and a creature of the night she'd always believed only belonged in fairy tales and B-class horror movies that her life would end.

"Jacob," his name fell out of her lips and she silently cursed herself when she saw the Werewolf's ears perk up at attention. She really wished she hadn't done so because in a matter of seconds, its entire body hovered over her, crouched low enough on her to feel its hot breath warming her face, and its teeth almost making contact with her neck. She closed her eyes waiting for his teeth to sink into her skin and praying that Jacob made it home alive. But after what seemed like an eternity, Bella reluctantly opened her eyes to see that the Werewolf's face had lowered a bit down. She noticed that its muzzle was closed, not showing any of its teeth, his eyes intently on her face. When their eyes made contact with each other, Bella noticed its black eyes were somehow strangely familiar, yet to trust a thing that might've wanted to kill her was the last thing she intended to do so she just closed her eyes again and waited for the inevitable.

Again, what felt like an eternity passed, as she opened her eyes to see the werewolf on its hind legs, calmly waiting for her to move. Bella wasn't sure why but something in her told her not to fear this creature of the night. Her body relaxed just a tiny bit, and her hands stopped shaking in fear of what was in front of her. As to show her its peace offering, the Werewolf laid itself upon the ground and relaxed its entire frame.

"Aren't you going to eat me?" she asked the Werewolf. She'd mentally slap herself, knowing full well that it wouldn't answer her even if it planned to kill her.

But crazy enough, it did answer... by rolling its eyes at her.

"Did you just roll your eyes at me?" she asked petulantly and again it answered by huffing strong enough to shift some leaves away from it with its breath.

Bella slowly stood up, but it took her another half hour to make the next move. She thought of how any wrong move would trigger the Werewolf to attack her and decided to take one small step at a time. The closer Bella walked towards the Werewolf lying on the ground, the more confident she grew that it would not harm her. But just three feet away from it, it stood up and looked down upon Bella, hunching over as if ready to attack her. She began to shake in fear when she realized that it was not startled by her, but by another movement close by.

The next thing that happened caught Bella by surprise.

The Werewolf immediately placed one arm beneath her knees and the other under her right arm, holding her upper back, cradling her like a baby. Soon it sprinted at an impossible speed with Bella in its embrace, while she threw her arms around its shoulders, hiding her head on the crook of its neck. She noticed that though it was running at an incredible speed, the Werewolf wasn't breathless as anyone else would be when running for long periods of time.

_Where is he taking me?_ Bella thought_._

Visions of him bringing home the bacon, namely Bella, to his family after a hard day's work came to mind and she grimly chuckled under her breath at the absurdity of it. At that, she caught his left eye peering down at her, and she cowered into its embrace. Crazy enough it may seem, she felt safe in its arms, and had a feeling that it wasn't taking her to danger, but running away from it.

As the night went on, and the moon made its way towards the west, Bella began to doze off in the arms of the Werewolf. It slowed its pace after a while continuing at a brisk walk through the woods. Bella had a feeling that it wasn't taking her back to the edges of the forest to find her way home, and relented into a half-sleep as she felt overwhelmed over the night's events. This werewolf was certainly otherworldly because it didn't to require much rest all night.

Bella finally woke up and noticed it was still dark outside. She looked at her watch and noticed that it was close to midnight. She was still being carried by the Werewolf when it stopped right in front of what looked like an abandoned cabin in the middle of the woods. The Werewolf placed her down unto the ground, making sure that both of her feet were safely placed on it. The surrounding shrubbery of the woods had completely overtaken the cabin, roots twisting in and out of the building, making it look even creepier than it needed to be. But Bella was exhausted and it looked like the place had been abandoned for quite some time. She slowly began to make her way towards the house when the Werewolf ran right in front of her to block her from continuing. This startled her at first, as she was still getting used to everything that had happened this evening but the look of panic that the Werewolf expressed, made her believe he was protecting her. From what, she didn't know and couldn't ask.

"Look, I don't know what you're doing with me or where you're taking me, but I am human. I need rest. I am exhausted. Maybe if I go to sleep, I will wake up from this nightmare in the comfort of my twin bed, and then, I will fiercely hug my brother until he can't breathe because this all started with him missing, and I don't think I want to know a life in which he doesn't exist," she cried. Bella didn't know she had it in her to cry anymore as exhausted as she was, but the tears fell down her cheeks quickly.

The Werewolf drew closer to her as she opened her eyes and saw the familiarity in its face. She couldn't help but caress him as a sign of affection. Where her hand touched its face, it leaned its head against her palm, and a small sigh escaped through its teeth. After a moment of this, she made a deal with it: that if something lurked inside the cabin, the Werewolf was free to take her somewhere else until they can figure things out. The Werewolf nodded its head in approval and slowly turned around to head towards the cabin, protectively standing in front of Bella. Bella felt touched at the thought of having a legendary creature such as the Werewolf stand in as her protector.

Finally, standing on the front porch of the cabin, Bella took in her surroundings. The floorboards creaked beneath their feet, and there was an eerie silence that made the hairs on the back of Bella's head stand at attention. _Maybe it isn't such a good idea to be here_, Bella thought. But involuntarily, her hand closed into a fist, the knuckles hitting against the wooden door, as she waited for someone to respond. At that, the werewolf looked at her with incredulous eyes.

"What? This isn't my house. I don't go barging into people's house without an invitation. Is that okay with you?" Bella asked as her eyebrows raised high on her forehead, daring the Werewolf to say anything about it.

Once again, the Werewolf rolled its eyes at her and waited for her to continue. Bella gently grasped the cold doorknob and slowly opened it, the door creaking as it moved, creating a feel of uneasiness. Stepping into the darkness of what she thought to be the living room, she took in her surroundings and found that the place looked as if a hurricane passed through it, leaving total destruction in its wake. What seemed to be a sofa had been turned upside down, and the remaining pieces of a rocking chair were splayed out across the floor. The drapes hung clumsily along the windows and were torn to shreds. It was stuffy and it reeked of old clothes and wet animal. Bella could make out the faint sounds of rats running under the floorboards and she shivered in disgust. Looking towards the farthest wall on her left, Bella walked to it and saw a small chimney. Bella instantly noticed the faint signs of lit orange embers on the floor of the fireplace. Which meant only one thing: something or someone was just in here and she highly doubted the fire belonged to the rats.

Bella jumped in the air, placing one hand on her chest to calm her heart, the other hand holding on to the Werewolf for protection. A strong, rough voice coming from the darkness across the room startled them both.

"Who goes there?" the Voice asked forcefully.

Bella quickly backed her way into the Werewolf when it suddenly grabbed her by the waist, and hid her behind itself. The Werewolf quickly scanned the area as Bella tried to calm her nerves enough to answer.

"I said, who goes there?" demanded the Voice at an even louder tone. The loud tenor and demanding tone of his voice woke her enough to answer him immediately. Bella prayed that he couldn't tell the fear in her voice even though she was being protected by the Werewolf.

"Um, I'm sorry, sir. We didn't know anyone was here. We knocked and when no one answered, we just came in. We're sor..." Bella was cut off when the Voice hidden by the darkness interrupted her.

"Did _she_ send you here to finish me off?" the Voice asked.

"Excuse me? I don't what you're talking about. I just need some help finding my brother, and getting the hell out of this place," Bella pleaded. "If you know of anything that could help me..."

"You're not alone." It wasn't a question. Whoever he was, was still lurking behind the shadows and Bella couldn't make out who she was talking to. "What are you doing here? Did _she_ send you to torture me more?" the Voice in the darkness asked. Though he spoke forcefully, there was a hint of nervousness when he spoke.

Bella inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled through her nose to calm her nerves and begin again. "Sir, I'm not here to hurt you. I don't even who or what you are. My name is Isabella, and I'm trying to find my brother Jacob who's lost somewhere out in this forest so we can go back home. Can you help me?"

"Jacob," said the Voice. Bella nodded her head in his direction. There was a silent pause left in the air, and Bella wondered if she was supposed to say anything. After a moment, the Voice began to speak.

"Do you know the Sorceress I speak of, oh Cursed Creature of the Night?" asked the Voice calmly. Bella immediately realized that he was speaking to the Werewolf who stood protecting her. The Voice seemed to be having some sort of conversation with the Werewolf as it slowly nodded at some questions and lowly growled at others.

"When did she turn you and how?" the Voice asked. Bella was beginning to get impatient with the one-man conversation. As amusing as this all was, she was growing tired, impatient, and definitely hungry. She's only eaten a sandwich for lunch and had been internally looking forward to the pizza that was ordered for dinner.

"I see," the Voice mused quietly. Sighing, Bella began tapping her foot against the wooden floor and crossed her arms in front of her, waiting for someone to acknowledge her.

"And what would you do for me? I owe you nothing and I have no obligations to either of you."

"Anything? That's a very dangerous thing to say young creature. I wouldn't go around making promises you can't keep. Trust me when I say this, you're probably better off killing her and making dinner out of her because once you belong to this world, there is no way out." At this Bella stiffened, knowing well enough that she would be the one becoming dinner for the Werewolf. Though he had been protective of her all night, he was still a dangerous monster that couldn easily kill her with just a snap of his jaw. "No one leaves this cursed place. Not while the Sorceress has claim over this land. I'm sorry but I cannot be much help at all."

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous," Bella snapped. "I need to know what's going on."

The Werewolf seemed to be too engaged in the silent conversation with the Voice to pay any attention to Bella. After another long pause, the Voice spoke, but it sounded weak, as if he was grundingly giving into whatever the Werewolf was asking of him.

"You don't know what you're asking. To help would mean to risk your life and hers when the chances for success are slim to none."

With a sigh, the Voice finally conceded.

"He wishes to speak to you," the Voice stated. After a long pause, Bella realized that Voice was speaking to her. Not knowing what to make out of this whole situation and being agravated with not seeing the Voice's face, she asked to make his presence known.

"Can you come out?" asked Bella.

"No," the Voice answered.

"Why not?" asked Bella curiously.

"I don't want anyone to see me like this," Bella's heart clenched at this. His voice sounded sad, as if he'd never shown his face to anyone. Bella felt bad for him but then, she thought of her missing brother: of how she wouldn't stand being without him and how much she needed to find him and go back home.

"Please. I know you don't know me and have no reason to trust me. But I need your help," Bella pleaded. Her voice shook and the tears began to pool in her eyes. Bella took a step forward though the Werewolf kept a close distance behind her. "I need to find my brother and get out of here. Do you know what it is to lose a loved one? Have you ever felt responsible for their loss? It kills me inside not knowing where's he at. He could be d....dead, for all I know. I love him. Please help me. I need to speak you with and see you, and know you are real," Bella cried.

The Werewolf slowly approached Bella and placed its large, hairy hand with long, thin fingers upon her shoulders as she slumped unto the ground, sobbing for her lost brother. Bella didn't flinch at its touch for her heart was heavy with the possibility of never seeing her brother again.

After what seemed like hours, the Voice conceded to showing his face to Bella and the Werewolf. "I must warn you. I am not human. I am a monster. The things you might see when we hunt down the Evil Sorceress might frighten you, might scare you enough to run away. But as much as you might want to try that, there is no escape, not unless we defeat her and make things right again on this land. And forgive me, but I am not hopeful."

Bella nodded in agreement. She would be risking her life to find her brother. She will see things that are outside her world and might fail. But it was a chance that she was willing to make.

As ready as Bella might've made herself believe she was, her insides her twisting in anticipation of what she might see now. Hearing the padding of feet against the wooden floor of the old cabin, the creature came out from the darkness and finally revealed himself to her and her Werewolf friend.

If Bella weren't so scared to death of what crawled right up in front of her, her first reaction would've been amazed at the beauty crouching in of her. A huge lion slowly padded its way up to Bella's kneeling body, its face fierce and serious as if he'd been holding in anger for a long time. Its mane was wild and free, surrounding the ferocity of its expression. Its whole body lithe and powerful as it finally closed the distance between itself and Bella by just two feet. Something about its eyes caught Bella's attention: they were empty. Black. Infinitely hollow. Bella soon backed up away from the Lion, shuffling her body on the ground until she bumped into the Werewolf, causing her to scream from the shock of everything surrounding her. She quickly stood up from the floor and ran towards the corner of the room, trying vainly to run away from the two monsters in front of her.

The Lion sighed and crawled its way towards the Werewolf, and sat on its hind legs, waiting for Bella to calm down. The Lion's empty eyes were staring unknowingly off into the distance and Bella realized that it was blind.

"Who took your sight away?" asked Bella. She was still standing in the corner unable to move, but her body relaxed when she realized neither monster planned to attack her.

"The Sorceress. She's the one who turned your brother," answered the Lion. Even though he was a wild animal, his stance while sitting on its hind legs seemed to demand respect, as if he were a king.

"Excuse me?" asked Bella, wanting to make sure she heard correctly.

"Bella, this creature of the night standing before me is your brother, Jacob."

Everything clicked into place. The fact that the Werewolf hadn't killed her and protected her the entire time they were together. The familiar look in its eyes as they stared at one another. Everything made sense now.

"Jacob," Bella said.

Bella ran towards the Werewolf and hugged it with all she had. Jacob embraced her to himself, being careful not to crush her with his inhuman strength.

"He wants me let you know that he's sorry for everything that's happened this evening. He didn't think much of the consequences of hiding in the forest during hide and seek and regrets it fully."

Bella took Jacob's face into her hands and looked into his eyes. "That's okay, Jacob. We're here, together. And now it's time to go find a way to reverse the spell."

"You make it sound so easy, Bella. It's anything but," said the Lion. "You don't know the kind of power that woman holds within herself. You don't know what she is capable of doing. She's a horrible, evil woman whose heart is as black as my empty, lifeless eyes."

"Tell us of your story, please. I do want to help, not only my brother, but you as well. Besides, what else is there to do around here?" Bella said. Bella pulled herself away from Jacob's embrace, grabbed his hand and lead him to sit on the floor in front of the Lion as if waiting for the teacher to instruct his students. The Lion seemed to be collecting his thoughts, as if preparing for a long history lesson.

"As a human, I am Prince Edward Anthony of Cullen. Actually I should be King of our land, but due to the current circumstances, that is not way of this land."

"Wait. What do you mean 'this land'? We're in the middle of a forest in a small town named Forks in Washington, USA. This is not some land named 'Cullen'" said Bella.

"No, you are mistaken. You are currently in Cullen. This forest is part of our kingdom and the people in it waste away day by day under the rule of the Evil Sorceress, Victoria." Edward sensed the confusion between Bella and Jacob and continued on. "My parents were the King and Queen of this land long ago. The people of Cullen have always revered King Carlisle and Queen Esme for their benevolence and compassion for the poor, their advocacy on the future of the next generation, and their courage in standing up to their enemies to protect our people and our land. For years our land lived in peace. My brothers and I were brought up in the traditions of our family and as the oldest son, I was to take the crown when our father and mother died." The sorrow in Edward's speech, the way his shoulders slightly slumped, and the way his head bowed down, had tears pooling in Bella's eyes. Though she couldn't tell what Edward looked like as a human, Bella imagined him to be young. The passing of his parents must've been hard on him and she had to hold herself back from giving him a hug.

"Victoria killed my parents," Edward continued. Bella and Jacob both gasped at the news. "She tried to seduce my father with her immense beauty, hoping that he would easily fall for her evil intentions. But my father was very much in love with the woman who gave me life. When Carlisle did not respond the way Victoria wanted him to, she cast a spell upon the entire kingdom, inducing slumber upon all our people, including the King and Queen. At this opportunity, like the coward that she is, Victoria stabbed both my mother and father while they were lying upon the ground, sleeping. When my brothers and I returned from our hunting trip we thought there was massive attack from some enemy country, killing everyone in the process. But the villagers seemed only to be sleeping and we found it rather odd and even a bit comical as we continued our way towards the castle. My brother Jasper then sensed something was wrong and we ran towards our parents. The worst thing to see was my parents lying upon the ground, their bodies cold, blood seeping through their garments. Their peaceful expressions of slumber were frozen in time as their arms held one another in an embrace."

At this, Bella couldn't stand it anymore and threw her arms around the Lion. At first, he was startled, but when he felt her embrace, he felt his heart jump from the intensity of it. Jacob huffed behind her and Bella realized what she'd done and apologized. Edward chuckled and continued with his story.

"Immediately we knew the only one to cause all this was Victoria. The spell apparently would last until the breaking of dawn the next day in which we announced the death of the King and Queen to the people of Cullen. Black flags were raised in mourning of my parents. My brothers thought that their wives might also be dead but Victoria didn't get to them, so they were safe. I was to become King of Cullen the following month after my parent's demise, but I'd made a vow to my brothers that I would avenge Carlisle and Esme's death. My brothers refused to let me go alone and their wives refused to be left behind. So we began our search for Victoria through the forest of our land where it was rumored that strange things kept happening in it. Our plan was to capture her, tear her limb from limb and burn the pieces afterwards. We thought it accomplishable because we all have special abilities. As you might've picked up, I can read minds, my brother Jasper is an empath, and the youngest of us, Emmett, he's got great strength. But little did we know that Victoria was so much than just a Sorceress. We battled against her in her legendary form, a creature never seen by man. Nothing could have prepared us for her. We were naive to think that we could destroy her. Victoria captured us instead and turned us all into inhuman things. She erased my brother's memories and turned them into wild beasts to protect her. And as for Rosalie and Alice, my brother's wives, she turned them into mystical beings to show off as trophies for her accomplishments. She turned me into this and blinded me."

Bella felt terrible at once. When she'd asked him earlier if he knew what it was to lose a loved one, she hadn't thought of what this man must've gone through in his life to end up blinded and alone in this cabin. "So, you've been here all alone, knowing that your family is out there with no recollection of who they are, no idea of where you might be, nothing?" asked Bella.

"Correct. My sisters-in-law do still have their memory, but they are being held captive with no one to rescue them," answered Edward.

After letting everything Edward spoke of sink in, Bella stood up from the ground and paced frantically, trying to figure out how to get to this woman and destroy her.

"What are you thinking?" asked Edward. Bella stopped to look questioningly at Edward.

"I thought you said you could read my mind," said Bella.

"Actually, I can't read your mind. I haven't a clue as to why I can't. I've been trying to read you all night. I can read your brother's thoughts. I can even read the thoughts of the rodents crawling underneath the floorboards, but from you, nothing. It's...very frustrating," said Edward. "Do you have a sort of shielding power?"

"Power? Me? Pffft. I don't think so. The only things I have power over is my red '53 Chevy truck back home," answered Bella.

"What's a red Chevy?" asked Edward. Jacob snickered at Edward's question and Bella threw him a glare.

"It's irrelevant," said Bella. Bella walked towards the Lion still sitting on the floor and kneeled before him. She stretched her arms out towards him, and placed her hands on either side of his face. Edward closed his eyes at the sensation of her touch upon him. The warmth of her hands on his face felt like home and he wanted nothing more in that moment than to stay like that forever. "We have to find your brothers and their wives to destroy Victoria." Edward began to protest, but Bella placed a gentle hand upon his mouth. It gave Bella a silent thrill for her to do this. Not because he was a fierce Lion, but because she felt an intense connection she's never felt before with anyone in her life. "Edward, I want to help you. I want to help my brother. And I want to help your family. This woman has got to be stopped. We need to destroy her. I think that that is the only way you will all become human again.

"Now you said that your family was turned into other creatures. Maybe that is what we need to kill her."

"You make it sound easy," Edward spoke though her hand still lay over his mouth. Bella reached up towards Edward's mane and began caressing her fingers through it, causing him to shudder and purr at the feeling. Jacob huffed again with impatience but Bella ignored him.

"You're right. It's going to be difficult. It's going to be emotionally and physically draining. But don't you want to see your family again?" asked Bella. Edward nodded. "Now what do we have to do?"

-------

And so the three of began their journey east towards the castle of the Evil Sorceress, Victoria. Edward informed Bella and Jacob on what needed to be done to get his family back and the Sorceress destroyed. Even though Bella was determined to see this through, her insides were turning wildly at the prospect of facing not only dangerous magical creatures and a powerful evil witch, but also, if things should go the way Edward thought, they would have to battle Victoria in her beast form. Edward had explained the power of the monstrosity she transformed into and confessed to not having enough faith on pulling this off. He was still hesitant about leading Bella and Jacob towards the Evil Sorceress, like lambs to be slaughtered. But he felt specifically protective of Bella and secretly vowed to get her and her brother out of harm's way.

Walking through the darkness of the forest, Bella and Edward started getting to know about the other's lives and family. Edward spoke of his parents: not only were they great leaders and had the utmost respect of the people of Cullen, but they were kind, loving parents that made sure each of their children were deeply loved and care for. Carlisle and Esme taught their sons to be humble and good as future leaders of their land. Edward spoke of his brothers, Jasper and Emmett: about their games and mischief when they were children, and the special bond that held the three of them together in even the direst of times. He spoke of the people of Cullen: of their good deeds, their pride, and allegiance to the crown. While Edward told of his story to Bella, she saw the King his parents raised him to be. There was no need for a crown to be placed on his head, no need to see the King he was brought up to be for her to know that Edward would be great a leader one day. But deep down in her heart, she felt the warmth of a growing love for Edward Anthony she knew would never be reciprocated. Even if he could learn to love her, he was a prince, soon to be King and their worlds didn't exist in the same plane. Bella would return home with her brother, Jacob, and all of this would cease to exist. She wondered if the love she had for Edward would go with her once she crossed the threshold back to her world. Bella was both hopeful and saddened to think that she would carry that love with her, even if Edward couldn't be a part of her life.

Bella told Edward about her life in a small town named Forks, Washington. Bella spoke of her love of books, of her plans to attend the university and become an English teacher one day. She spoke of her parents: the hard times that almost broke up her small family, and the adoption of her younger brother, Jacob, after his parent's death in an automobile accident. She explained that even though the blood that ran through their veins was not the same, it didn't matter. Their love for one another held them together just as strongly, and she couldn't have asked for a better brother. When Edward asked her of any awaiting suitors in Forks, Bella blushed and immediately denied dating anyone back home. Though Edward tried to deny the butterflies in his stomach and the fire he felt at her touch earlier in the cabin, he was realizing that his heart was melting at the beauty that this woman radiated with her kind and gentle spirit. Though he could not see her, Edward somehow knew it in his heart that Bella was beautiful both inside and out, and hoped to find his sight in time to see her. He knew their time was limited and once everything would be said and done, Bella and Jacob would return back to their land. Though it saddened him to know this, Edward would rather have one touch of her hair, one glimpse of her face, then a lifetime without it.

After traveling on foot for an unknown amount of time, Bella began dragging at the back, swaying with exhaustion when the sounds of heavy poundings woke her up from her lethargic state. Immediately Jacob ran towards Bella and picked her up to get ready and run. The Lion sensed Jacob's sudden tension, and ran in front of the Werewolf to block his path.

"Don't leave. I can read his thoughts. It's my brother, Jasper. Though he's not in his right mind as I knew he would be, we must not show fear," warned Edward. Jacob stood still as he contemplated what to do next.

"Jake," Bella whispered in his ear, though Edward could hear what she was saying. "We know the plan. We have to do this to turn you back. Okay?" Bella held Jacob tighter in an embrace, hoping to encourage him to stay. After about a minute, Jacob released his sister and gently placed her on the ground next to her but stayed close.

As the ground beneath them began to tremble with the approaching of Edward's middle brother, Bella inhaled and exhaled deeply in anticipation of what was coming their way. But no amount of forewarning from Edward, and not the sight of Jacob as a Werewolf could have ever prepared her for what she saw next.

From the darkness that engulfed the forest, the black Dragon hovered over the three of them, standing as tall and wide as a three-story building. The five massive horns upon its head were followed in a row of horns down its back all the way to the tip of its tail. Its skin and scales glimmered like a million onyx stones, and the enormous wings upon its back gave Bella the impression that, when extended to its full length, the wings could reach up to three times its size. Each of its blackened claws was twice the size of Bella's hands: large enough to swipe the three of them at once, and instantly kill them. The black slits of its eyes were surrounded by liquid gold. Smoke escaped through its angry nostrils as his whole body crouched, preparing to attack.

Bella and Jacob were working extremely hard to not give into their fear and run. Though Jacob was a werewolf, and Edward was a large lion himself, they would not be enough to defend themselves against the Dragon.

"Edward," said Bella, her voice trembling.

"That's him. Show no fear. He can sense it. Even in his human form, he can sense what the people around him felt. As a child, every time anyone standing close to him was sad, he was saddened as well. When people around him rejoiced, he rejoiced right along with them. As an adolescent, my mother diligently worked with him to control his talent while still being able to detect the emotions of anyone within a hundred feet from him. As an adult, he used it to feel out the fear and agony of the enemy at times of war. If you show him fear, he will sense it and attack like he did when we were at battle, for that is when the enemy is most vulnerable," Edward explained.

But how do you not show fear when facing a strong, ferocious opponent intent on killing you?

Bella immediately had an idea that seemed so...silly, that it just might work. While she prepared herself for the power that she was about to unleash, Bella prayed with all her heart that this would work.

Bella placed one foot in front of her, and stood one step closer towards the Dragon. Upon seeing this, both the Werewolf and The Lion tried to stop her. She lowly whispered, "It's okay...trust me." Wary, the both of them stood down and waited for Bella.

"Jake," Bella called. The Werewolf's sight did not leave the Black Dragon's form. "Why did the king go to the dentist?"

Jacob turned to look at Bella questioningly.

"To get his teeth crowned," Bella answered her own question.

The Werewolf was still staring at Bella as if her neck had just sprouted three heads.

"Your brother wants me to tell you that that was absolutely...gay," Edward said.

Bella answered Jacob through gritted teeth and a tight smile, "Whatever works. Don't you think?" The Werewolf shrugged, letting her continue.

"Edward, when a knight in armor was killed in battle, what sign did they put on his grave?" asked Bella.

"I don't know," answered Edward, trying to figure out Bella's intent.

"Rust in Peace!" Bella threw her head back in mock laughter while Jacob's frame began to shake with small chuckles. At this Edward realized what Bella planned and joined in to help.

"Bella," the Lion began. "What king of medieval England was famous because he spent so many nights at his Round Table writing books?"

"Ooohh, I know that one. King Author!" smiled Bella. Slowly the Dragon began to come out of his attack position and sat himself on the ground, the look on his face was still fierce. Bella looked to Edward to figure out what's going on, and he nodded for her to continue.

Bella started, "Who invented King Arthur's round table?"

"Sir Cumference," Edward chuckled. Jacob growled out his laughter at the jokes, helping them all out of their fear of the Dragon. "Why did Arthur have a round table?"

"Hmmm...Why?" wondered Bella.

"So no one would corner him, " Edward responded. Laughter poured out of him, while his front right paw pounded softly against the ground, mostly at the absurdity of the situation. "Oh good one, Jacob. When was King Arthur's army too tired to fight?" Edward asked for the Werewolf.

"When they had lots of sleepless knights," answered Bella. As the silly medieval jokes were said among the three, The Dragon relaxed in its place watching the three of them playing around.

"What was Camelot famous for?"

At this, all three of them went silent. Edward, Bella, and Jacob had been so consumed with humor and laughter, they'd forgotten that they weren't alone. They all turned to look at the Dragon who was expectantly watching them, waiting for them to laugh.

"It's a knight life!" the Dragon said, but no one laughed. They stood still not in fear of the Dragon, but in surprise to hearing him speak.

"Oh, come on. It was a rather good joke, if I do say so myself," said the Dragon.

"It's good," Bella encouraged. "You just caught us by surprise, that's all." Jacob nodded in agreement.

Edward stepped closer towards the Dragon. The feel of its hot breath helped the Lion find his place in front of it. "Jasper. Do you remember who you are?" The look on the Dragon's face turned to confusion.

"Jasper?" asked the Dragon. Though it thinks it might've heard of that name before, it was not successful in remembering. The Dragon shook its head.

"Dragon. Your human name is Jasper of Cullen. You are the son of King Carlisle and Queen Esme. The middle son of three, which makes you a prince. I am your older brother, Edward Anthony. You have a younger brother. His name is Emmett of Cullen. Our parents were killed by Victoria, the Sorceress who transformed you into a Dragon with no memory and me, into a Lion with no sight. Does any of this make sense to you?"

The Dragon shook its head confused by what this sightless Lion was telling. The Dragon didn't know how, but there was a pull, a sort of invisible, yet tangible connection between itself and the Lion. Even though, it couldn't figure what this connection was, The Dragon decided to trust the Lion in front of him.

Edward read the decision the Dragon made to trust him and was satisfied for the most part. It still bothered him that the Dragon wasn't remembering any of these details of their previous life.

"Do you remember Alice? Your wife?" At this, the Dragon's eyes widened. The Dragon still had no idea who these people were, not even an Alice, but his heart seemed to recall the name when it began beating at great speeds inside of his thick-skinned chest.

"My mind cannot make the connection with this 'Alice' but my heart remembers her," answered the Dragon in a grave steady voice.

"It's a start, Edward," Bella interrupted. The sound of his name upon her lips made Edward's heart jump, but now was not the time to be distracted by this for they had a mission to continue.

"Where is she?" asked the Dragon.

"Alice is being held captive by the Sorceress, the wo-" Edward began to explain when he was interrupted by a loud roar. The Dragon knew not who this Victoria was, but his rage consumed him so completely, the fire inside of him released through its long snout, lighting up about forty tall trees in the process. Jacob jumped up in fear and ran towards Bella, picking her up into his arms to protect her from the Dragon, but stayed still. Edward waited for the Dragon to calm down to begin again.

"Like I was saying, Alice is being held in captivity and we need your help to defeat the Sorceress," Edward said, calmly. He knew his brother would react that way as Jasper had always been protective of Alice. When the Dragon finally calmed down enough to listen to Edward's plan for destroying Victoria, Jasper readily accepted and with that they were off to the next phase of their mission.

After everything that had happened that evening -finding out her brother had been turned into a Werewolf, speaking to talking Lion who was soon to be King, and recruiting the help of a Black Dragon- Bella was feeling overwhelmed, though she tried to hide it as much as possible. She was also becoming restless and more moody with each step they took closer towards the castle.

"Bella," said Edward. "Your brother wanted me to relay a message to you."

"What Jake?" sighed Bella.

"He says, 'Happy Birthday Bella'." This made her stop as she realized that she just turned eighteen today.

"Oh wow, Jacob. With everything we've gone through tonight, it totally slipped my mind. One thing is certain: I'll never forget this birthday," chuckled Bella, even in her inundated state. Jacob picked her up off the ground and held her in a massive bear hug. "Ah...Jake...can't breathe..."

With a small sigh, the Werewolf placed her back on the ground and looked at her face. Suddenly, Jacob held his hand under Bella's chin and lifted it up to get a better look of her eyes. Being a Werewolf had its perks: one of them being that he had perfect night vision. Jacob couldn't believe what he was seeing in Bella's eyes. Her normally beautiful chocolate brown eyes were replaced with a color so red and brilliant, each looked like rubies. Apparently Bella was unaware of this happening and started to move away from Jacob's stare.

"What, Jake?," Bella asked, impatiently.

"Are you certain?" asked Edward. "Jasper, come and take a look at Bella's eyes and tell me what you see."

"What are you guys talking about? You guys are scaring me," Bella cried.

The Dragon crawled his way back towards them, lowered himself down to Bella's level and turned his head to the side, his right eye looking intently into Bella's eyes. Bella shivered at the proximity of the Dragon but pushed that down quickly.

"What color are your eyes normally, Bella?" asked Jasper, after a moment of staring at her with his right eye.

"Brown."

"Not anymore," retorted Jasper. "It seems, dear Isabella, that your eyes are the color of rubies. Strange, but beautiful."

Becoming irritated and a little jealous of being the only one not able to see Bella, Edward came closer towards them.

"Yes. Thanks Jasper for your careful observation. Now, Bella, has this ever happened to you before?" asked Edward.

"What? My eyes changing colors out of the nowhere? No, that's never happened. You know what else has never happened to me before?" asked Bella, getting louder by the second, backing away from them. "I've never met magical creatures who could talk, or an animal that should belong in 'The Lion King' nor had a freaking Werewolf as a brother. No, never!"

As Bella ranted, all three of the creatures tried to stop her ranting from increasing.

"Bella, please. I beg you to quiet down," Edward begged.

"No, you listen. I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed. So, I would appreciate it if you guys got off my back about all of th.."

Warm, moist breath and the heat of a body standing right behind her made the hairs of Bella's neck stand up in fear. She didn't need to look at who they'd encountered in the forest. Against her back, Bella felt rise and fall of a broad, strong chest breathing heavily.

Turning around, she found herself staring into the deepest blue eyes she'd ever seen. Its furious glare stunned Bella as she tried to take a step backwards. She took in its wide shoulders, arms thick with muscles, its strong jaw, and ripped stomach. Its curly, brown hair reached down towards the elbows, the skin of its body glistening from heavy perspiration. Its bottom half was another story: on its hooves, the figure stood almost seven feet tall, and the color of its lower half and tail the same as its hair.

"Centaur," called Edward. The Dragon, the Lion, and the Werewolf were all standing on the other side of the dark meadow. Bella was situated a little too close to the Centaur and not close enough to her traveling party. "We seek your aid in destroying the Evil Sorceress who torments these lands with her wicked enchantments."

The Centaur turned his attention towards the three standing on the far side of the meadow. While its attention was occupied on Edward, Bella began to take a wary step back, but the farther she moved, the closer the Centaur moved with her.

"I have no problems with her. Why would I aid in the destruction of the great Sorceress?" answered the Centaur. Its shoulders tensed forward as if ready to pounce at any second, its entire frame seemed to radiate pure hatred for the three creatures and one human in front of him.

"Because the great Sorceress as you call her has something that belongs to you," answered Edward in his strong, commanding voice. Bella gently took another step back, hoping that the Centaur wouldn't notice.

"Really? And what say you is this thing belonging to me? The Sorceress has never mentioned about..." said the Centaur before he was cut off by Edward.

"Ah, but why would she tell you she holds something near and dear to you when she claims it for her own?" asked Edward. Bella was so close to the three creatures behind her, she turned to run towards them. Suddenly, her foot caught on a branch, tripped and fell towards the ground. Quickly she turned to see the Centaur running towards her in an angry attempt to grab her. Over her head, the Werewolf jumped towards the half-horse/half-man, and with incredibly brute strength shoved the Centaur against his torso to the far side of the meadow.

Caught by surprise, the Centaur stood up from the ground and galloped towards the Werewolf at an amazing speed, raising its massive fist and colliding it with Jacob's face. Even though the blow of the Centaur's fist had been incredibly painful, Jacob stood back up faster than anything, and ran towards the Centaur, latching his strong jaw on the creature's thick neck. The fight between the Werewolf and the Centaur was like watching the clash of the Titans: every time they collided against the other, it sounded like furious thunder. Every time one would fall to the ground, it shook beneath them all.

Scared of what she was witnessing, Bella ran towards Edward and threw her arms around the Lion, begging him to command them to stop. At first, this startled Edward for he hadn't been embraced by anyone in so long, it felt strange. But the warmth of Bella's embrace felt so good, that he had to remind himself of the situation at hand and not get lost in her affection.

In his most intimidating, commanding voice, Edward ordered," Enough! Dragon, separate these two at once. I will have no more of this nonsense."

For its collosal size, the Dragon cowered before the Lion and heavily stomped towards the two still-fighting monsters in the meadow. Swiftly Jasper picked up each creature, wrapping his claws around their torsos to hold their arms down from attempting to escape.

Edward unseeingly looked down towards Bella as she clung to him, heavy sobs leaving her breathless. "Isabella, love." Both of their hearts grew to an intense size at his sentiment. Bella pulled back to look into Edward'a face. "It's over. Please lead me to them." Bella nodded, stood up on Edward's left, and placed her small hand on his wild mane, both making their way across the meadow.

"Now," Edward's commanding voice returned as he spoke to the Centaur. "You have two choices. You can either join us and claim both your memory and your heart. Or you can keep roaming through these woods alone for the rest of your pathetic life as a Centaur, doing the Sorceress' bidding."

While in a futile attempt to remove itself out of the Dragon's grasp, the Centaur asked, "What do you mean, my memory and heart? I live and breathe to serve the Sorceress. That's all I know to be."

"You are Emmett of Cullen, Centaur. Your father and mother were King Carlisle and Queen Esme, rulers of Cullen. You are the youngest of three sons and husband to the beautiful, Rosalie." At the mention of his wife's name, the Centaur's heart sprinted at a rapid speed, though he knew not who this Rosalie was. And even though he did live and breath to serve Victoria, Emmett always felt a pull from something inside of the casle as if it called to him, attempting to connect to his dormant heart.

After what seemed like an eternity, the Centaur finally conceded to Edward's request to join him. The Dragon let go of the Werewolf first as it ran towards Bella when she began to punch and slap him.

"What were you thinking, Jacob? You could've gotten yourself killed," Bella cried, tears still streaming down the cheeks.

"He was protecting you," Edward answered for Jacob. "Also, the Centaur was the one to kidnap Jacob and delivered him to the Sorceress."

"But what would've happened, Jacob, if you would've gotten killed?" Jacob began to shake his head. "All this effort we put tonight would've been in vain if I'd have lost you. How could I face Mom and Dad when I got back home and tell them you were dead?" Jacob nodded his head in understanding. He wouldn't know what to do either if Jacob had to explain to their parents about Bella's death.

Edward felt a pang of hurt when he listened to Bella speak about going home, but he could not concentrate on how his heart broke at the moment, and commanded them all to continue on with their journey.

While traipsing through the woods later that evening, Bella began to feel a bit under the weather. Her skin felt unusually hot, her bones ached and her mouth felt dry. Sensing her discomfort, Jasper asked her what was wrong, and when she tried to brush it off, Edward ordered everyone to stop.

"I'm fine, Edward," said Bella. "I'm just tired, that's all. Unlike you guys, I'm still only human." Edward didn't seem to believe Bella but relented and asked Jacob to carry her the rest of the way.

Bella thought she'd seen everything but as they finally arrived at the edge of the forest, the realization of their quest woke her up from her stupor immediately. The Sorceress' castle was an awesome sight to see. It was tall enough that everyone including the Dragon had to raise their eyes high enough to make out its three peaks. It sat on the edge of a cliff overlooking the black ocean, the gigantic moon behind the castle making it look darker than it already was. The trees on the ground were leafless, and the walls of the castle were covered in grime and moss, giving it an eerie feel.

"I've explained our goal for destroying Victoria," Edward said. "We must find two emeralds, rescue Jasper and Emmett's wives, and kill off Victoria before she turnes into her beast form. If she does transform, I pray that a blind Lion, a fire-breathing Dragon, and mightily strong Centaur can be enough to stop her. Jacob, you must take Bella and run if Victoria transforms. I apologize right now but I would rather you be a Werewolf for the rest of your life than have either of you die," Bella began to protest but Edward cut her off. "As future King of Cullen, it is a command, not a request, Isabella. I could not live with myself if anything should happen to you. Do you understand?" Bella made her way towards Edward, laid her small hands in either side of his face, and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

The five made their way inside the castle and though it was hard for them to remain inconspicuous, they all stayed as quiet as possible. Edward, being the only one to remember the room in which Victoria kept her most prized posessions, directed the rest to find a room with a giant aquarium covering the back wall. After what felt like an eternity, they walked through a high archway and found the Great Hall where said aquarium stood in the back of the room. Edward nodded his permission to begin search for the two missing emeralds. But they had no luck finding the two emeralds after exploring every inch of the room.

"The only thing I've found is a small Pixie trapped in this glass jar," said the Centaur as he stood by a single table holding a crystal container. The Pixie waved her tiny hands frantically at him.

"The only thing I see is a Mermaid residing inside the aquarium," said the Dragon as he looked down a beautiful creature of the sea. The Mermaid's eyes widened in alarm.

"Victoria has a sick sense of humor," Edward said, mostly to himself though everyone heard him. Edward asked Bella to lead him towards the Pixie, closely followed by Jacob.

The Pixie stood as tall as Bella's hand, her small light green dress that reached to just above the knees, matched the peridot green color of her eyes. Her black spikey hair stood at all angles. She was very beautiful.

Edward approached her and asked, "Pixie, do you know who you are?"

"Yes," Bella answered for the Pixie as she nodded quickly.

"Good. Do you know who I am?"

"Yes," Bella repeated.

"Emmett, release her," Edward commanded, but even with all with his strength the Centaur couldn't set her free. With a sigh, Edward turned to Bella and asked to lead him towards the Mermaid's tank on the other side of the Great Hall.

As they approached the aquarium, Bella saw the half-woman/half fish creature, measuringat about eight feet long. The iridescent lilac scales on her lower half sparkled even with the little lighting inside the room and her fish tail curled at the ends. Her top half was just as naked as the Centaur's bare torso, though her long, blonde hair covered her nudity from everyone's sight. She was breathtakingly stunning in her beauty and her eyes mesmerized with a beautiful amethyst color.

"Mermaid, do you know who you are?" asked Edward.

"Yes," Bella answered as the Mermaid mouthed the word.

"Good. Is there any way of escape?"

"No," Bella responded.

"All right. Emmett, Jasper, switch places," ordered Edward. With confused looks upon their faces, they did as told. Emmett gasped at the sight of the Mermaid as did Jasper when he lowered himself to look at the Pixie.

"Emmett and Jasper meet your wives, Rosalie and Alice," said Edward.

The look of longing on Jasper's elongated dragon face was heart breaking as his eyes laid upon the beauty of his pixie wife, Alice. Though Jasper still didn't know who she was, he felt his heart melt at the sight of her. A tiny tear fell from Alice's brilliant eye as she pressed herself against the glass in an attempt to bring herself closer to him.

Emmett put his massive hand against the thick glass of the aquarium holding his wife in a futile effort to close the distance with Rosalie's hand. The forlorn look on the Mermaid's face made the Centaur wish he had enough strength to break through the enchanted wall that stood between them.

Suddenly a high cackle that reverberated throughout the Great Hall, startling them all and sending chills down their spines.

As they turned around, all eyes descended towards a remarkably beautiful woman. Her black dress was long enough to drag behind her, but covered her tightly against her skin, hugging her sinuous curves. Her waist-length fire red hair was spread across her shoulders, her black eyes radiated the hatred of thousand suns upon each of their faces. Around her neck laid a long gold chain with two beautiful emeralds hanging upon her chest.

"Oh how lovely- A family reunion," jested the Evil Sorceress, Victoria.

Edward stood on all four legs, his stance demanding the reverence of a king. He stood in the middle of the five in between Jacob and Bella. The Dragon poised himself ready for attack as the Centaur tensed up, closing his strong fists, ready to fight. Victoria didn't seem the least bit intimidated by any of them.

"Edward, how lovely it is to _see_ you, my dear. I take it you've found some foolish friends to help you find your blinded way back to your brothers and fight for you. Is that it?" asked Victoria. Edward stood silent as Bella trembled in fear of what the Sorceress might do next.

Victoria looked at Jacob. "And you, I thought I sent you out to catch a chicken for me. I'm starving. Though you smell rather odd. Maybe it was for the best, you might've spoiled my meal." At this, the Werewolf growled but made no move.

Victoria walked towards Bella to get a closer look into her eyes. Jacob ran to push the Sorceress before getting to Bella but Victoria threw her arm out, throwing a strong gust of wind at the Werewolf, sending him crashing against the wall on the other side of the Great Hall. Bella screamed for him but was warned by Edward to stay still.

"I just want to look at your eyes, that's all," Victoria said, calmly enough to make Bella shiver. "Your eyes are Ruby red- how fascinating." Bella looked down to the emeralds that sat on Victoria's chest as she began to plan a way to take them. "Your eyes will be a lovely piece to my collection, pretty young one. The rubies of your eyes will look positively beautiful next to the emeralds that once belonged to Edward."

Victoria stepped away from them and looked from one side to another towards the Centaur and the Dragon. "You are a disappointment. You both have failed in protecting me. Therefore there will be retribution for your betrayal and insubordination. I truly hope you enjoy it," said Victoria. The Sorceress lifted both of her hands, sending lighting bolts flying passed the Centaur and the Dragon, heading towards the Mermaid and the Pixie, electrocuting them with all her might. Both Jasper and Emmett clawed at the glasses encasing their wives, getting electrocuted in the process.

As Victoria's attention was placed elsewhere, Bella looked at Jacob as he ran towards the Sorceress to stop her. The Werewolf wrapped his arms around Victoria's neck, strangling hard enough to stop her torture upon the four creatures in the back.

"Jake, I need the emeralds on her necklace. Throw them to me," yelled Bella. Victoria began to send electric charges on Jacob's form but not before he swiftly ripped the emeralds from around her neck and tossed to them to his sister. Bella prayed that her clumsiness didn't come into play as she successfully caught the emeralds in the air. Quickly she ran towards Edward and placed the emeralds inside his eye sockets.

Edward's sight returned in time to see Jacob's form lying on the ground as Victoria lifted Bella off the ground, the Sorceress' long nails closing around the eyes to remove those out of the sockets. Edward launched himself onto Victoria and latched his strong jaw on her shoulders, effectively releasing Bella from her grasp and dropping her on the floor. Victoria reached her left hand inside of her pocket, taking a long blade out of it, and stabbed Edward's side, drawing blood and twisting it to cause a deeper wound. Edward growled in pain as his emerald eyes rolled upwards, his body slumped towards the ground behind Victoria.

In seeing this, the Centaur ran towards the Sorceress, shoving her hard enough to send her body flying through the air, crashing her into the wall. Victoria's body laid still on the ground.

Bella rapidly crawled towards Edward. The Lion's limbs began to transform into human legs and arms. The fur on his body shed revealing the transformation from Lion to human. Bella sat amazed at the man lying on the ground for he was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. Edward's body was slender, but strong with sinuous muscles, his strong chiseled jaw and long nose made him look so masculine. But the gentleness of his pale skin and the bronze color of his hair complemented his beauty. As Bella reached his eyes, they were exactly the color of emeralds, shaded by his furrowed eyebrows as he laid in pain on the ground. The wound beneath his ribcage was deep and it was becoming really difficult for Edward to control his breathing.

"Isabella," whispered Edward as his emerald eyes connected to her ruby ones. "You are so beautiful. You don't know how happy I am to see you even for this one last time."

"Sshhh..." Bella cried silently. As her tears fall down her cheeks, Edward reached his hand to wipe them away and caress her face. "Don't say that. You're not dying. You're going to be King of Cullen, remember?" Bella turned her head to kiss his hand as it lay upon her cheek.

"I love you, Isabella," confessed Edward, a beautifully crooked smile gently gracing his face.

"I love you, too, Edward," countered Bella. His smile grew a bit more at Bella's declaration causing her to smile back through her tears.

A loud rumbling sound reverberated throughout the Great Hall and Bella raised her head to find that all of the others seemed to have transformed back to their human forms. Jasper, Alice, Jacob, Emmett, and Rosalie all stood surrounding the couple upon the ground with sorrowful expressions. Bella looked down once more and saw Edward's limp body lying on the ground, his eyes closed with a hint of a smile upon his lifeless face.

"No," whispered Bella.

"Bella, there's nothing we can do now for our brother," said Jasper, as he stood embracing his wife, Alice, tears streaming down both their faces.

"No," cried Bella.

"Bella, we have to go now. Victoria is waking up and if she transforms into her beastial form, we're all done for," warned Emmett as he tried his best to rein in the tears. Rosalie's face burried under his arm, sobbing quietly.

"No," Bella repeated louder.

"Bella, honey, we gotta go," cried Jacob, slowly making his way towards his sister.

Behind Jacob, Victoria began to stand up from her place, making direct eye contact with her. Victoria cackled and straightened herself up.

"Too late," said Victoria, raising one perfect eyebrow, her vindictive smile marring her face.

As the Sorceress' closed her eyes, chanting in some unknown ancient language, her body bowed to the ground as she grew into an impossible height. Her legs and arms transformed into a lion's limbs, her red hair spread around her lion face like a mane. But her tail altered itself into a serpent, and in the middle sprouted the head of a goat, facing towards the back. Chimera.

Chimera's black eyes centered on the small humans standing across the Great Hall as they stood still in fear of the beast.

"No," whispered Bella.

"Come on. We have to go," yelled Jacob as Bella stood from her kneeling position to face Chimera.

"No," Bella repeated. "Take Edward's body and run. Jacob, go with them."

On the outside Bella seemed calm, but on the inside her body lit up with a power she'd never known she had but knew instantly what it meant. As she closed her eyes, words of a long forgotten language poured out of her as her body began to lift itself off of the ground.

As the others watched Bella float in the air, a blinding light poured out of her when she began to change into a legendary creature. Its plumage was of beautiful ruby red and her long tail of gold and royal blue. Finally transformed into the mythical creature, the Phoenix flew down towards the ground to speak to the five awestruck humans.

In Bella's voice, though it did not open its beak to speak, the Phoenix ordered, "Take Edward's body now before you're all destroyed. I will take care of Chimera from here."

"No," cried Jacob. "I'm not leaving you."

"Please Jake. I need you to trust me this one time. I love you, but you have to take care of yourself and go back to Mom and Dad," ordered Phoenix.

A loud keening errupted from Chimera as it began to loose patience. Chimera opened its lion's mouth and released large amounts of fire, coming close to the humans.

"Go," yelled Bella. Jasper grabbed Jacob, pulling him away from the line of fire. Emmett picked up Edward's body as Rosalie and Alice ran in front of him. Phoenix flapped her wings and in one swoosh, flew high enough to stay out of the reach of Chimera's fire attack. Phoenix began to look around the Great Hall, in search of something to hold in fire breath when she found a boulder in the corner behind Chimera. Flying swiftly around Chimera, Phoenix tried to get a hold of the boulder but the four-legged beast was too fast and nearly singed the mythical bird with its fire.

Seeing her predicament, Jacob pulled himself away from Jasper's grasp and ran in front of Chimera, trying to take the attention away from Phoenix. As she saw this, Phoenix screeched for Jacob to get back but he did not listen, begging her to trust him back. Phoenix immediately flew towards the boulders and with her incredible strength, pick it up with her claws. Phoenix flew back towards the ceiling as she saw Jacob being dragged away by a frantic Jasper. Chimera moved very fast and almost caught up to the humans opening its mouth to release the fire upon them all. Phoenix took the opportunity and flew in front of Chimera to distract it away from the humans. Chimera looked at the mythical bird, and opened its mouth when Phoenix quickly dropped the boulder inside of it. The boulder that lodged itself inside of Chimera's throat, melted with the fire inside of the beast, effectively asphyxiating it. Chimera dropped on its side, the weight of its body slamming against the ground shaking the walls of the castle with the impact.

Phoenix flew down and landed by Edward's lifeless body. Seeing no need to continue on as Phoenix, Bella transformed back into her human form and laid herself against Edward. She began to caress his face, admiring his unparalleled beauty. She looked towards the others as they mourned for their brother. With one last hope inside of her, Bella lifted herself up, coming face to face with Edward while she held his head up with her hands. The tears fell from her eyes, dropping into his face as Bella lowered herself, closing her eyes and kissed him sweetly upon his lips.

Suddenly, a light erupted from between their lips and as Bella began opening her eyes, she took in her surroundings. Her body laid on the ground against the old oak tree in the forest. The dim light through the trees cast an eerie feel around her as she tried to figure out where she was.

"Oh crap. You're okay," a familiar voice startled Bella out of her stupor as she looked around the forest. Jacob, holding his chest with his hand as if trying to keep his heart from jumping out, ran towards his sister and knelt beside her. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?" asked Jacob. "We've been looking for you everywhere. I'm so sorry. I didn't think of anything bad happening when I came in here, looking for a place to hide. I'm so sorry, Bella."

Realizing where she was and why, Bella threw her arms around Jacob's neck and held on tight. "Oh, Jacob. I thought I'd lost you and when the werewolf found me, I was freaking out but then he was friendly so he took me to a cabin and there we met..."

"What are you talking about, Bella?" Jacob asked, worried that she was delusional. Bella thought of how real everything was even though she had spoken and fought with magical creatures. Maybe she would tell Jacob one day of the most amazing dream she'd ever had.

"How long was I lost for?" asked Bella, trying to stand up but Jacob held his hand on her shoulder to keep her from moving.

"All night. It's 6 a.m. Bella. But we didn't stop searching for you all night," answered Jacob. Bella nodded in understanding. "It's a good thing that Edward found you. I don't know what would've happened if..."

"What?" asked Bella, surprised to hear the name.

"Edward, Edward Masen. He's dad's new deputy and the minute we all knew you were gone, he was the first to search for you. As a matter of fact, he's not stopped at all."

From behind her, appeared a very tall man with bronze hair and pale skin. He knelt on the other side of Bella and looked intently into her eyes, his emerald eyes locking with her chocolate brown.

"Are you okay, Bella?" asked the beautiful man, his brow furrowed in concentration as he searched her for any injuries. Bella looked down and saw that he was wearing a police uniform. Though this man looked exactly like _him_, his voice rung with the same tenor, Bella couldn't help but be sad at this not being the Edward from her dreams. She wanted to deny them as dreams, but it would silly to continue on with the delusion. Bella noticed she hadn't answered Deputy Masen's question.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Bella answered, with half a smile.

"Why are you so sad? I would think you'd be happy we found you," Edward asked.

"I guess I'm just tired, is all."

Deputy Masen turned to Jacob and ordered him to go home and spread the news about Bella. When Jacob left, Edward helped Bella get up and in one swift movement, picked her up bridal-style.

"You know you don't have to carry me. I think I can do well all by myself," Bella said.

"You know you didn't have to risk yourself either. But here we are," Edward countered. Bella rolled her eyes.

"Look, my brother got lost and I worried for him. Anybody would've done what I did for their loved one."

"Yes, I know. Not only did you go looking for your brother inside a mysterious forest, you risked your life against a hideous beast intent on taking the lives of both our families, by turning into a Phoenix. How ever did you manage that, I wonder?" asked Edward.

Bella looked up quickly to see if Edward had somehow read her mind and was trying to tease her. When she saw that he was serious, her heart began to pound rapidly at the realization Edward Anthony was truly here with her.

"But how..." asked Bella.

"Let's just say that I've been waiting an extremely long time for you, Isabella," Edward answered her unspoken question.

"I love you, Edward," said Bella as she pulled herself closer to him, awaiting for a kiss.

"I love you, too, Isabella," Edward countered as he lowered his head to place a gentle kiss on Bella's tender lips.

* * *

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